Relatives of man shot at college criticize officers' demeanor

By Cindy George

Published 9:12 am, Thursday, January 31, 2013

Jody Neal, 25, is in Ben Taub General Hospital recovering from six bullet wounds.

Jody Neal, 25, is in Ben Taub General Hospital recovering from six...

With activist Quanell X at her side, Neal's aunt Sharon Mayo talks about him at a news conference on Wednesday. Over the past few days, Quanell X spoke on behalf of the alleged gunman, a former suspect and Neal.
Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle

With activist Quanell X at her side, Neal's aunt Sharon Mayo talks...

"Jody was making a huge change in his life," his aunt said.
Photo: Nick De La Torre, Staff

Relatives of a student seriously wounded in last week's Lone Star College shooting described him Wednesday as an aspiring professional artist who was trying to complete his GED.

Jody Neal, 25, was one of three men wounded at the college's North Harris campus when gunfire erupted in a courtyard on Jan. 22.

Standing across the street from Ben Taub General Hospital, activist Quanell X presided over the last in a trilogy of presentations before the media this week in which he spoke on behalf of Neal as well as the alleged gunman and a student who was initially suspected in the incident.

Neal was shot six times, according to his aunt, Sharon Mayo. He was wounded twice in the abdomen, two times in an arm, once in his leg and in his back. He has two colostomy bags because of extensive damage to his intestines and remains at high risk for infection.

The incident began when Neal allegedly bumped into Trey Foster, now charged in the shooting, and the interaction escalated into an argument, authorities have said.

Carlton Berry, who was first identified as the shooter, was arrested. He was released from jail on Monday and aggravated assault charges against him were dropped. The 22-year-old also sustained injuries that left him hospitalized for several days.

In defending the arrest, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia said two witnesses identified Berry as the shooter. The sheriff also said that without that arrest, Foster and the gun believed to have been used in the shooting might not have been recovered.

Foster, also 22, was arrested Friday in Plano. He has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault.

Along with Berry and Neal, Lone Star maintenance worker Bobby Cliburn was caught in the crossfire. He sustained injuries to his leg.

"Jody was making a huge change in his life," his aunt said. "He wants to be a tattoo artist and a graphic designer."

Quanell X said that Neal was "grateful to be alive" and was eager to make a speedy recovery so that he could continue his studies."

On Monday, the activist stood beside Foster's mother holding a receipt indicating that Foster had purchased a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol from a national sporting goods store. The activist questioned why the young man now facing felony charges, but with at least one weapons-­related misdemeanor, could have bought a gun and whether the transaction was legal.

Quanell stood with Berry during a Tuesday news conference in which the falsely accused and jailed student requested an apology from Garcia, who has declined.

And for the third time this week, the activist accompanied a family to meet with reporters to give another side of the story.

According to Quanell and Neal's relatives, deputies rushed to the aid of the bullet-riddled student, but changed their deportment after seeing his body art.

"He said when the officers first approached him and he was laying down on the ground, they were very responsive to him. But when they saw the tattoos that he had on, their whole demeanor and whole attitude changed and that's when the conversation turned into 'are you a gang member?' " the activist said. "That's not the proper approach and the way to treat a victim who has just been shot."

Quanell also explained why he was representing families with three different and, at times, conflicting perspectives.

Sheriff Garcia responds

"All three of these families reached out to me for help," the activist said, adding that he's helping to maintain peace among friends of Berry, Foster and Neal. "These young men will kill each other because of the one that they love who's involved. They want revenge. They want retaliation."

He also called on Garcia to acknowledge how some "young Hispanic and black men are treated by law enforcement officers" and to "give every member of his department some serious cultural sensitivity training" to avoid prejudice against people of color with tattoos.

In a response late Wednesday, the sheriff's office rejected allegations that Neal had been "treated inconsiderately" and called Garcia "a transformational figure in the Harris County criminal justice system for his advocacy of tolerance, diversity and understanding."

The response also said the shooting appeared to have a "gang-related element." If Neal was questioned about his tattoos, the statement said, investigators may have wanted to learn more about why he became a shooting victim.

The statement also said deputies may have helped save Neal's life, and that an investigator spoke by phone Wednesday before the news conference to a woman identifying herself as a family spokeswoman and Neal's aunt who indicated "no dissatisfaction with the handling of the case."

The response also questioned whether Neal, who provided inaccurate information to deputies at the scene and could not talk later because of his wounds, would have been "able to recall anything accurate now about his treatment by investigators."